


Delay Of Game

by AuthorToBeNamedLater



Series: Keeping Up With The Raptors [29]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Bromance, Gen, Hockey, Humor, Male Bonding, National Hockey League
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-13
Updated: 2014-09-13
Packaged: 2018-02-17 06:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2299571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorToBeNamedLater/pseuds/AuthorToBeNamedLater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Raptors' game in Tampa Bay gets postponed. What do they do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Delay Of Game

**Author's Note:**

> I've come up for air! Here is the latest offering. Enjoy!

William LaJeunesse sat in the lobby at the Hampton Inn in Tampa. A short circuit at the St. Pete Times Forum had turned the ice into slush and rescheduled the Raptors' game against the Lightning for the following afternoon. So the Raptors had commandeered the hotel lobby and broken off into card games, board games, a viewing of the Red Wings and Blackhawks, and inane discussion.

LaJeunesse was chewing a bite of pizza and absently reading some email about the movement to implement a coach's challenge when Mikey and Sandy's conversation broke into his thoughts.

“Hey Shep, are you Canadian?”

LaJeunesse peered over his glasses. Mark stood at the lobby entrance holding a bottle of Mountain Dew. “What?”

“Are you Canadian?” Mikey repeated.

“No, who's Shep?” Mark asked.

“You are,” Sandy said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You know how we all have nicknames, right?” Mikey asked.

“Yeah,” Mark said a little warily.

“Well, you're Shep.”

Mark opened his Mountain Dew and took a sip. “Do I want to know where you came up with this, Mikey?”

“Probably not,” Gunnar commented dryly.

That did not deter Mikey. “Your last name is Shearer. Like one who shears sheep. So Shearer, shepherd...Shep.”

“That's a stretch,” Mark deadpanned.

“Hey, don't fight it,” Sandy said. “We won't come up with anything better.”

Mark looked at Sandy. “You don't have a nickname.”

Hank leaned around Sandy, thrust his fingers forward to mimic a snake bite, and mouthed _“Viper.”_

“And neither do you,” Mark said to Hank.

“You can't contain that much awesomeness in a nickname,” Sandy said.

Hank chuckled. “Well, back in college I was Professor, but that didn't stick in the pros.”

“Why were you Professor?” Mikey asked.

“Because I was the only guy on the team who liked math.”

Mark wrinkled his nose. “Liked math?”

“I was an economics major. I had to like math.”

“I think we should call him Captain Sheridan,” Mikey said. “Like on _Babylon 5._ ”

“Who?” Mark asked.

Mikey looked horrified. “You've never seen _Babylon 5_?”

“No.”

“OK. We're fixing this. Who has a computer?”

“No!” Gunnar interjected. “Don't do it, Mark!”

“Is it bad?” Mark asked.

“And that's Shep,” Mikey corrected as he took proffered Nik's iPad.

“No,” Gunnar said. “It's great. That's the problem!”

“So back to our original discussion.” Sandy looked at Mark. “Are you Canadian?”

“Of course I am. Why are you picking on me?”

“Because we're trying to determine the national breakdown of Seattle's Sons of Winter and you're the last question mark,” Sandy said. “Your mom's American, right?”

“Yeah, she's from Seattle,” Mark answered. He sat cross-legged on an available patch of floor. “She moved to Canada when she married my dad because he was in the Navy.”

“So you're half American,” Mikey said between taps on the iPad screen. “What do you mean, I have to pay $1.99 an episode?!”

“And that better not be on my Amazon account,” Nik grumped.

“Well, I technically have dual citizenship,” Mark conceded.

“See? Half American.”

“Yeah, you don't even say 'eh',” Gunnar added.

“You're Swedish,” Mark pointed out. “You don't get to challenge my Canadian bona fides.”

The Raptors' backup goalie shrugged. “It's true.”

“A lot of Canadians don't say 'eh',” Mark said.

“And you don't speak French,” Sandy added.

“Plenty of Canadians don't speak French,” Mark sighed.
    
    
    Mikey thrust his hand toward Mark. _“Donnez-moi votre carte canadienne_ ,” 
    
    “You...” Mark looked puzzled. “Give you my Canadian card?”
    
    “Yes. Your citizenship. Hand it over,” Mikey said firmly.
    
    Mark blinked. “No.”

“So what do we think? American or Canadian?” Sandy asked Mikey.

“Can he count as one of each?” Mikey posited.

“Mm, no. One or the other.”

“Wait. Coach.” Mark looked at LaJeunesse. “Your mom's Canadian, right?”

LaJeunesse hadn't wanted to become involved in this, but nonetheless he had. “Yes,” the coach answered slowly. “She's from Montreal.”

“Do you have dual citizenship?” Mark asked.

“I did,” LaJeunesse said. “I renounced my Canadian citizenship when I went to West Point.”

Mark looked at Mikey and Sandy. “Does he count. Between the two of us, can we have an American and a Canadian?”

LaJeunesse couldn't handle it anymore. He stood up and left the lobby, nearly knocking Vince over on his way out.

“And people wonder why I never had kids,” LaJeunesse fumed at his slightly stunned assistant. “Because with these guys, I don't need them!”

 

 


End file.
